VIDEO. Cycling: How 2020 changed everything in Paris (and beyond)

“This is madness! » Louis Belenfant, president of the Vélo en Ile-de-France collective, sums up in these few words what has just happened to cycling in the Ile-de-France region in 2020.

“Suddenly thousands of cyclists on bike paths – a real explosion on the roads of Ile-de-France,” he notes. In less than a year, the number of cyclists on Paris roads has increased by 66%.

A quick ride along Parisian bike paths, camera in hand, seems to confirm this. “I canceled my metro subscription, I only travel by bicycle,” Elisa assures on Vélib’. “Rain, wind, hail – I’m on a bike,” smiles Celine on her electric bike. So how can we explain this cycling boom and its consequences in Greater Paris?

Every week on the Le Parisien Facebook page you will find a new episode of our Biclu series.

RATP strike

Let us remind you: in December 2019-January 2020 there was almost no metro in Paris, few buses and trams. RATP agents, mobilized against reform of their pension system, went on strike for 50 days. A lot has happened since then, but it was this event that marked the beginning of the first cycling boom.

“The roads were chaos and the weather was terrible,” recalls Louis Belenfant. “Biking is an alternative to public transport that avoids traffic congestion by car,” he explains. But, faced with such unfavorable weather, are Parisians going to take up cycling?

The answer was a resounding yes. “It was madness, it took on proportions that we have rarely seen,” sums up Louis Belenfant. “There are many cyclists who are starting to buy bicycles, raincoats, and ride bicycles even in terrible conditions. »

Another explanation: the strike was related to the opening of new bike paths. At least that’s what David Belliard, EELV’s deputy for transport for the city of Paris, says. “At the beginning of 2020, there are a certain number of routes identified in the 2015 cycling plan that were delivered during the strike,” he explains. Those planning to ride a bike for the first time will discover this new and safe infrastructure.”

Health crisis

This is another important reason for the cycling boom in 2020. Once deconfinement begins in May, there will no longer be problems with crowds on public transport. Paris City Hall is also struggling to put everyone back in their cars to avoid pollution (which is also suspected of contributing to the spread of the virus) and clogging the capital with terrible traffic jams.

That’s why the City Hall of Paris and the prefecture are working with associations to create temporary bike lanes, which will soon be called “coronapistes”. The main symbol is the closure of the Rivoli street to cars (except taxis) to make it a huge bicycle lane.

“This is tactical urban planning,” sums up David Belliard. It does not require major infrastructure and can be created quickly and for little money. »

Some will not work and will be removed, but most will survive. In total, bicycle counters in the city of Paris will record 120% more bicycles in September compared to the first week of March, before the introduction of quarantine.

Shortage of bicycles, cycling caps and tensioners.

This is the other side of the coin. The shortage threatens the bicycle industry. Proposals are being taken by storm, such as the region’s 500 euro aid for the purchase of an electric bicycle, for which 70,000 were requested in 2020, or three times more than expected! Manufacturers that develop their bikes in France, such as Mustache, have their factories running at full capacity.

The “cycling stimulus” the government is pushing to get Parisians, and more broadly the French, back in the saddle will also remain a highlight of 2020. Idea: Flat rate of 50 euros for minor repairs to your bike. Success… and queues in front of repairmen.

For the first time, Parisians sometimes have to wait long weeks and stand in queues just to get an old biclou served. Dealers struggle to find trained and affordable bicycle mechanics.

The boom in cycling will also create traffic jams for two-wheelers on some routes. And also complicate the relationship between cyclists and other road users.

New developments are not always taken into account. “We need acculturation, the city is no longer just for cars,” sums up David Belliard.

Tensions between cyclists, motorists and pedestrians are sometimes high. “One of the characteristics of 2020 is the rise of cyclophobia,” assesses Abel Guggenheim, a Parisian cyclist since 1962 and longtime cycling activist. “Some cyclists would like us to rush others, but they are wrong,” he continues. And it urges the city to take the time to carefully review each event.

“We did a lot for cycling in 2020 quantitatively, but qualitatively it was worse than in 2018 and 2019,” points out Abel Guggenheim. City planning is a marathon, not a sprint. What the Dutch did 40 years ago, we will not do in three years. In 10-15 years the city will become truly bike-friendly. »

You will find all episodes of the video series about cycling “Biklu” from “Parisian” on our website.